Snackshot Of The Day: Russ & Daughters' New-Catch Holland Herring Sandwich

The Daily Meal's editors, contributors, and readers dig into some pretty great restaurants, festivals, and meals. There's not always enough time to give a full review of a restaurant or describe in depth why a place, its food, and the people who prepare it are noteworthy, so Snackshot of the Day does what photographs do best, rely on the image to do most of the talking. Today's Snackshot is a photo of the new-catch Holland herring sandwich from Russ & Daughters in New York City's Lower East Side.

Unlike the briny pickled herring you're probably used to, the matjes (fresh-caught) herring, are soft, wet, rosy, and actually quite unfishy. It's a summer delicacy celebrated in Denmark and Norway — immature fish caught and cured for just a few days. Russ & Daughters serves the mild herring tucked into a side-sliced piece of brioche baked by Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit bakery in East Harlem. It's a simple sandwich, the herring covered very liberally with raw diced onions and cornichons that lend a welcome crunch and tang to the buttery fish, which disappears quickly into the other components.

While the new-catch herring sandwich won't dethrone Cuz's blue marlin cutter in Barbados as the world's best fish sandwich, it's one to check off your list before the season ends in the next two weeks. Otherwise you'll have to wait until next summer. Read more about the new-catch herring sandwich in GutterGourmet's Sandwich of the Week.

Read more about The Daily Meal's Snackshot feature. To submit your own photo, email jbruce[at]thedailymeal.com, subject line "Snackshots."

 

Arthur Bovino is The Daily Meal's executive editor. Follow Arthur on Twitter.